In 1689 the Kangxi emperor (r. 1662 – 1722), a Manchu whose forebears had conquered China in 1644, made a grand tour to consolidate his authority over southern China. The renowned landscapist Wang Hui was commissioned to record the journey in a series of twelve oversize handscrolls. This scroll, the third in the set, highlights the emperor’s visit to Mount Tai, China’s “Sacred Peak of the East.” Although Wang based his design on maps and woodblock prints — he never visited the mountain — he also connected specific sites with imaginary landscape passages inspired by classical precedents and employed a traditional “blue-and-green” palette to underscore the emperor’s beneficent rule.

"Scroll Number Three. We respectfully painted His Majesty as he arrived at Jinan, ascended the city wall and inspected. The entire populace raised their hands to their foreheads in salutation and rejoiced to behold the Imperial countenance. Then the Imperial procession traveled on by mountain and reached Taianzhou. His Majesty led the officials in attendance in performing the ceremony at Mt. Tai. At that time, the spirit of the sacred mountain expressed good omens, with serried peaks standing loftily and tall trees rising elegantly through the clouds, and the elders of Taian singing and dancing, filling the road. Although the grandeur of Mt. Tai, with the incredible winding mountain roads of this area of Lü is roughly sketched here in red and green colors, we can hardly describe all its aspects at the tip of our painting brushes."

On the outside of the scroll, affixed to the brocade flap is a label with the following identification:"Scroll No. 3 of the Illustrations of the Tour of the South from Jinanfu to Taianzhou, and the performance of the ceremony on Mr. Tai."

Label stitched to the edge of silk wrapper reads:"Scroll No. 3 of the Illustrations of the Tour of the South. First month of the year jizi, 28th year of the Kangxi reign (1689)."